The following discussion of the background art is intended to place the invention in an appropriate context and to allow the unique characteristics and advantages of it to be more fully understood. However, any discussion of the background art throughout the specification should in no way be considered as an express or implied admission that such background art is widely known or forms part of common general knowledge in the field.
Traditionally, gaming activities have relied upon a model whereby a player exchanges an entry fee for one or more entries, and does so on the basis that the entry fee is placed at risk in the sense that it will be lost should the one or more entries not be identified as winning entries. This traditional model is founded on a principle whereby entry fees are central to the funding of prizes for a gaming activity.
The present inventor has recognised alternatives to the traditional model. In particular, as discussed in PCT/AU2007/000774, it is possible to use notions of “supplementary contribution” to fund prizes without necessarily making direct use of entry fee capital. In a general sense, by engaging in predefined activities, a player is able to assist in the funding of a prize pool by way of supplementary contribution without necessarily placing any funds at risk. So as to provide a straightforward example, a lottery may be conducted whereby players submit respective entry fees, and subsequently receive full refunds of their entry fees. Notions of supplementary contribution allow a prize pool for that lottery to be funded in whole, or in part, by funds derived by the investment of the players' entry fees for a predetermined period of time. In some cases, the prize pool is funded in whole, or in part, players' supplementary contributions are funded by third parties in consideration for a benefit they receive from the players' involvement in the lottery—for example in terms of a marketing benefit.
By moving away from the traditional model of gaming, there is scope to apply gaming principles in broader contexts.